Polymerized wax candles

ABSTRACT

A candle made with a wax base and a synthetic thermoplastic rubber copolymer. The wax base may be prepared from a variety of sources including petroleum sources, animal sources, vegetable sources, synthetic sources, and blends thereof. The synthetic thermoplastic rubber copolymer may be a diblock, triblock, radial block, multiblock copolymers, and blends thereof. In addition to the wax base and the synthetic thermoplastic rubber copolymer, candles made according to the invention can also include stabilizers, fragrances, dyes as well as other standard candle additives. Moreover, candles produced according to the invention have several cost saving advantages. The addition of the synthetic thermoplastic rubber copolymer allows for the production of high quality candles while utilizing less expensive wax bases. Additionally, disclosed candles decrease processing times and percent defects.

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] Candles comprising a wax base and a copolymer of syntheticthermoplastic rubber copolymer additives are disclosed. The copolymeradditive is useful for binding excess oil within the candle therebyallowing for the production of quality candles from less expensive basewax. Methods of manufacturing candles comprising a wax base and acopolymer of synthetic thermoplastic rubber additives are alsodisclosed.

BACKGROUND OF THE RELATED ART

[0002] Candles have long since been used as an accepted method of givinglight, heat, scent, or for celebration or votive purposes. Candles madefrom a variety of wax bases are well known within the art. Typically, awax base is derived from petroleum sources, vegetable sources, animalsources, synthetic sources, or some mixture thereof. The wax materialsof candles are typically of high quality having a low amount oiltherein. A low amount of oil within the candle is associated with a highquality candle.

[0003] Despite the low costs of using crude wax as a wax base, highquality candles produced from crude wax are expensive because the crudewax must be refined into higher quality wax. During the refiningprocess, a crude wax, which may include as much as 20% oil is heated todrive off the oil. The process of driving off the oil also consumes someof the wax. Therefore, a large amount of crude wax is required to obtaina small amount of high quality wax. The large amounts of crude wax andthe high costs of refining that crude wax drive up the costs ofproducing high quality candles.

[0004] Due to the low costs of crude wax, it would be desirous to devisea method of producing high quality candles using crude wax. To do this,it is necessary to determine alternate methods of binding or otherwisedisposing of the oil that is inherent in crude wax. Currently, nomethods, other than expensive refining processes, are available toremove the oil from crude wax.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

[0005] In satisfaction of the aforenoted needs, an economic method ofbinding the oil that is inherent within a crude wax or economical waxsource is disclosed. The oil within the crude wax is economically boundthrough the use of a copolymer additive. By adding this copolymer tocrude wax, high quality candles can be produced using less expensivecrude wax as a starting material.

[0006] The copolymer additive which is based on synthetic thermoplasticrubbers may be diblock, triblock, radial block or a combination thereof.Copolymers of this type are well known, and are typically used asadhesives, sealants and coatings. For example, synthetic thermoplasticrubber copolymers produced under the tradename KRATON® are used in avariety of environments.

[0007] A candle utilizing a wax base and a synthetic thermoplasticrubber copolymer is also disclosed. The wax base may come fromeconomical sources such as petroleum sources, vegetable sources, animalsources, synthetic sources or mixtures thereof. Further, the wax basemay or may not be classified as a “crude wax”. The copolymer used inconjunction with the candle may be a diblock, triblock, radial block, orcombinations of diblock, triblock and radial block copolymers. Theaddition of the copolymer to the wax base binds the oil within the wax,thereby permitting the production of candles with more cost effectivematerials. It is therefore an object of the invention to prepare candleswith lower cost waxes which are presently unable to be used incandle-making preparation.

[0008] One of the lower cost waxes that are presently not useful in thecandle making process are low-melt waxes. Despite their lower cost,these low-melt waxes are not used prevalently because they may meltduring shipping during hot months. The addition of the copolymerstabilizes these low-melt waxes, by raising the melt temperature. Thus,if low-melt waxes are used, the concern over melting during shipping isobviated by the addition of the copolymer according to the invention.

[0009] As an additional method of cost savings, candles producedaccording to this invention reduce processing times and percent defects.Moreover, the candles can be produced using standard candlemanufacturing facilities. As such it is an object of this invention toproduce candles utilizing an optimized manufacturing process.

[0010] In addition to the cost saving benefits, the addition of thecopolymer has been found to alter the crystalline structure of the waxbases thereby allowing for the manipulation of the burn rate of thecandles. The burn rate manipulation is achieved because the alteredcrystalline structure provides multiple temperature gradients throughoutthe candle. It is therefore an object of the invention to providecandles that have longer burn times than conventional candles. Inaddition to longer burn times, the multiple temperature gradients of thecandle provides safety benefits by preventing spillovers because theedges of the candle are substantially cooler than the center pool.

[0011] Finally, the disclosed candles are useful for suspending avariety of safety and aesthetic additives. For example, flame retardantscan be suspended to extinguish the candle at the desired point. Glitterand other aesthetic additives may also be suspended in the candle.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENTLY PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] A candle made of a composition having a wax source and athermoplastic copolymer is disclosed. The copolymer is present in anamount of ranging from about 0.125% by weight to about 10% by weight.Preferably, the copolymer is present in an amount ranging from about0.25% by weight to about 2% by weight.

[0013] The copolymer is based on synthetic thermoplastic rubbers, andmay be diblock, triblock, radial block or a combination of the three.The synthetic thermoplastic rubbers which are produced under the KRATON®tradename are useful in this invention. The Kraton® rubber polymers,which are produced by the Shell Chemical Company, are elastomers with ahigh strength and low viscosity. Additionally, KRATON® has a uniquemolecular structure of linear diblock, triblock or radial polymers. Eachmolecule of the KRATON® rubber is believed to consist of block segmentsof styrene monomer units and rubber monomer units and each block segmentmay consist of 100 monomer units or more. The most common structure isthe linear ABA block type; styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS) andstyrene-isoprene-styrene (SIS), the KRATON® D series, A secondgeneration polymer of this series is the KRATON® G series which arestyrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene type (S-EB-S) polymers. Diblockpolymers include the ABA type and the SB, styrene-ethylenepropylene(S-EP) and (S-EB). The AGA structure of the KRATON® rubber molecule haspolystyrene endblocks and elastomeric midblocks. This series of polymersis sold commercially and indicated as being major compoundingingredients or additives in adhesives, sealants and coatings, asphaltmodifications for roads and roofing, polymers modification, thermosetmodification, and oil modification including use as viscosity indeximprovers, greases and gels. The KRATON® G rubbers are indicated asbeing compatible with paraffinic and naphthionic oils and the triblockcopolymers are reported as taking up more than 20 times their weight inoil to make a product which can vary in consistency from a “Jello” to astring elastic rubbery material depending on the grad and concentrationof the rubber.

[0014] The ability of a synthetic thermoplastic rubber copolymer to bindoil allows for the use of inexpensive alternatives for the fuel sourceor wax base. For example, in the case of paraffinic waxes, instead ofusing wax that has had all of the oil burned off through the expensiverefining process, the inexpensive “slack wax” can be used. Normally, theuse of “slack wax” would not produce a candle of suitable qualitybecause of the oil present therein. However, by blending the “slack wax”with the appropriate amount of the synthetic thermoplastic rubbercopolymer, the oil is bound. Thus, a high quality candle can be producedfrom a relatively inexpensive wax source.

[0015] Moreover, the addition of the synthetic thermoplastic rubber to awax base of a candle improves the shipping characteristics of thecandle. Often, candles that are prepared with a lower quality wax aredamaged by heat during hot shipping months. This problem is overcome incandles that utilize the synthetic thermoplastic rubber copolymeraccording to the invention. The reason for this is that the copolymeractually works to raise the melt temperature of the wax base. As such,the addition of the copolymer to a wax base reduces the concerns ofshipping candles in hot months.

[0016] The wax base used in the candle composition is a fuel source. Thewax base may come from a variety of sources. For example, the wax basemay be made from petroleum sources, vegetable matter, animal-fat matter,synthetic matter, or a combination thereof. Other sources may also beused so long as they are useful as a fuel source. Preferably, the waxbase is present in the candle composition in an amount greater than 50percent by weight.

[0017] The candle composition may also include other additives such asfragrances, stabilizers, dyes and hydrocarbon oil. Fragrances may beadded in an amount up to about 10 weight percent. Stabilizers may beadded in an amount of up to 1 percent by weight. Dyes may be added in anamount of up to 2 percent by weight. Finally, hydrocarbon oil may beadded in an amount of up to 10 percent by weight.

[0018] Candles prepared from compositions according to this disclosureare made in a conventional manner. The candles will include a bodyportion and at least one wick that is disposed within the body.Depending on manufacturing capabilities, the body of the candle may beformed in a variety of different shapes and sizes. Additionally,multiple wicks may be found within the candle.

[0019] Burn testing of candles made in accordance with this disclosurereveals that the addition of the synthetic thermoplastic copolymer tothe wax base alters the crystalline structure of the wax base therebyallowing for dynamic and unexpected burn characteristics. One suchcharacteristic is revealed by thermal photography. When candles are lit,they typically produce a wax pool in the area immediately adjacent thewick. The liquefied wax that becomes the fuel for the candle to maintainits flame. Thermal photography reveals that candles that are notproduced according to the invention demonstrate sharp temperaturegradients. For example, when lit, the area immediately adjacent to thewick can burn at temperatures up to 176° F. The next temperaturegradient drops sharply to 140° F. This sharp temperature drop may causethe size of the wax pool to rapidly expand radially. This may lead tothe dangerous situation of wax spillover. Candles produced according tothe disclosure, however, minimize the risk of spillover because theaddition of the synthetic thermoplastic copolymer alters the crystallinestructure of the wax base thereby allowing for a much smoothertemperature gradient transition within the candle. This gradualtemperature reduces the probabilities of wax spillovers because anatural well is formed for the wax to settle in.

[0020] One method of preparing begins by heating the wax base to atemperature within the range 170° F. to 220° F. After heating, thecopolymer additive is mixed in for 30 minutes or until homogeneous. Uponthe completion of mixing, the batch is cooled to 170° F., whereupon thedesired additives, such as stabilizers, dyes, hydrocarbon oils,fragrances, etc., can be added. After the addition of the additives, theentire composition should again be mixed until it is homogeneous.Preparation of the candles is completed when the composition is pouredinto molds at 170° F.

[0021] An alternative method of preparing candles includes the initialstep of preparing a copolymer pre-mix in lieu of mixing the full amountof copolymer into the full amount of wax base. This pre-mix may containfrom about 1% to about 49% by weight copolymer, and about 51% to about99% wax base. Due to the fact that the viscosity of the copolymerpre-mix is directly related to the amount of copolymer present, it ispreferable to use a pre-mix containing from about 8% to about 12% byweight copolymer, and about 88% to about 92% wax base. The pre-mix isprepared by first heating the requisite amount of wax base to atemperature within the range of about 190° F. to about 220° F. Afterheating the wax, the next step is to add in half of the copolymer. Thatcomposition is then mixed until the copolymer is in solution. Theremaining copolymer is then added in and mixed until the entire solutionis homogeneous.

[0022] Preparation of the final candle composition using the copolymerpre-mix is very similar to the preparation without the copolymerpre-mix. The only difference is that instead of mixing the copolymerinto the heated wax base directly, the copolymer pre-mix is added to theheated wax base. Thus, the first step is to heat the wax base to atemperature within the range of about 170° F. to about 220° F. Afterheating, the copolymer pre-mix is mixed in for 30 minutes or untilhomogeneous. Upon the completion of mixing, the batch is cooled to 170°F., whereupon the desired additives, such as stabilizers, dyes,hydrocarbon oils, fragrances, etc., can be added. After the addition ofthe additives, the entire composition should again be mixed until it ishomogeneous. Preparation of the candles is completed when thecomposition is poured into molds at 170° F.

[0023] The aforementioned preparation methods can be employed usingstandard candle manufacturing facilities. Moreover, candles producedaccording to the invention reduce processing times and percent defects.These added benefits work to further reduce the costs of producingcandles.

EXAMPLE 1

[0024] A candle having a wax base made from petroleum matter wasprepared in accordance with the described protocol. The wax base isabout 78.75% by weight of the candle composition. Paraffin wax sold byExxon/Mobil under the trade name Parvan® 129 and micro-crystalline waxsold by Bareco Products under the trade name Be Square® are examples ofthe types of petroleum matter that may be used to prepare the wax baseaccording to this example. The synthetic thermoplastic rubber copolymerused in this example is a styrene-ethylene-styrene block copolymer. Soldby Shell Chemical Company under the tradename KRATON® 1652, thesynthetic thermoplastic rubber copolymer is present in an amount ofabout 5% by weight. Additionally, stearic acid, sold under the tradenameEmersol® 7036 by the Cognis Company, may be present in an amount ofabout 1% by weight. Other polymers, such as polyethylene sold under thetrade name Vybar® 103 by Baker-Petrolite is also present in an amount of1% by weight. Finally, fragrances and dyes can also present. Forexample, fragrances such as coconut creme sold by J. Manheimer may bepresent in an amount of about 5% by weight. Similarly, a dye such asNitro Fast Blue 2B Powder, sold by the Clariant Corporation, may bepresent in an amount of about 0.25% by weight.

EXAMPLE 2

[0025] A candle with a wax base made from vegetable matter is preparedin accordance with the described protocol. The wax base is present in anamount of about 99% by weight, and may be vegetable fatty acids, soybeanwax, beeswax or other vegetable based sources. Additionally, a syntheticthermoplastic copolymer such as styrene-ethylene-styrene blockcopolymer, is also present in an amount of about 1% by weight.KRATON®1652 sold by the Shell Chemical Company is a suitable example ofsuch a copolymer.

EXAMPLE 3

[0026] A candle with a wax base made from animal-fat matter is preparedin accordance with the described protocol. The wax base is present in anamount of about 98% by weight. Suitable animal-fat sources includetallow base fatty acids. Additionally, a synthetic thermoplasticcopolymer such as KRATON® 1652 is also present in an amount of about 2%by weight.

EXAMPLE 4

[0027] A candle with a wax base made from synthetic matter is preparedin accordance with the described protocol. The wax base is present in anamount of about 92% by weight. The synthetic sources that may be used asa wax base include, among others, synthetic paraffin waxes such asCallista 122 made by the Shell Chemical Company, and alpha olefins.Additionally, a synthetic thermoplastic copolymer such as KRATON® 1652is also present in an amount of about 8% by weight.

EXAMPLE 5

[0028] A candle with a wax base made from a mixture of vegetable andpetroleum matter is prepared in accordance with the described protocol.The wax base is made of about 55% vegetable matter such as soy and about45% petroleum matter such as paraffin. The wax base makes up about 99%of the candle composition. The remaining about 1% is made up of asynthetic thermoplastic copolymer such as KRATON® 1652.

[0029] While the invention has been described in detail and withreference to specific embodiments thereof, it will be apparent to oneskilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be madetherein without departing from the spirit and scope thereof.

We claim:
 1. A candle composition comprising: a wax base; and acopolymer additive selected from the group consisting of diblock,triblock, radial block, multiblock copolymers of synthetic thermoplasticrubbers and mixtures thereof.
 2. The candle composition of claim 1,wherein the wax base is made from petroleum matter.
 3. The candlecomposition of claim 1, wherein the wax base is made from vegetablematter.
 4. The candle composition of claim 1, wherein the wax base ismade from animal-fat matter.
 5. The candle composition of claim 1,wherein the wax base is made from synthetic matter.
 6. The candlecomposition of claim 1, wherein the wax base is made from a combinationof materials selected from the group consisting of petroleum waxes,vegetable waxes, animal-fat waxes, synthetic waxes and mixtures thereof.7. The candle composition of claim 1, wherein the wax base is present inan amount of at least 50 weight percent of the candle composition
 8. Thecandle composition of claim 7, wherein the copolymer additive is presentin an amount ranging from about 0.125 to about 10 weight percent of thecandle composition.
 9. The candle composition of claim 8, wherein thecopolymer additive is present in an amount ranging from about 0.25 to 2about weight percent of the candle composition.
 10. The candlecomposition of claim 1, further comprising: from about 0 to about 10weight percent fragrance; from about 0 to about 1 weight percentstabilizers; from about 0 to about 2 weight percent dyes; and from about0 to about 10 weight percent hydrocarbon oil.
 11. A candle comprising atleast one wick; a body; said at least one wick disposed within saidbody; and wherein said body comprises a wax base and a copolymeradditive selected from the group consisting of diblock, triblock, radialblock, multiblock copolymers of synthetic thermoplastic rubbers andmixtures thereof.
 12. The candle of claim 11, wherein said wax base ismade from petroleum matter.
 13. The candle of claim 11, wherein said waxbase is made from vegetable matter.
 14. The candle of claim 11, whereinsaid wax base is made from animal-fat matter.
 15. The candle of claim11, wherein said wax base is made from synthetic matter.
 16. The candleof claim 11, wherein said wax base is made from a combination ofmaterials selected from the group consisting of petroleum waxes,vegetable waxes, animal-fat waxes, synthetic waxes and mixtures thereof.17. The candle of claim 11, wherein said wax base is present in anamount of at least 50 weight percent of the body.
 18. The candle ofclaim 17, wherein said copolymer additive is present in an amount ofabout 0.125 to about 10 weight percent of the body.
 19. The candle ofclaim 18, wherein said copolymer additive is present in an amount ofabout 0.25 to about 2 weight percent of the body.
 20. The candle ofclaim 11, wherein the body further comprises: from about 0 to about 10weight percent fragrance; from about 0 to about 1 weight percentstabilizers; from about 0 to about 2 weight percent dyes; and from about0 to about 10 weight percent hydrocarbon oil.
 21. A method of makingcandles comprising the steps of: providing a candle molten compositioncomprising a wax base and a copolymer additive selected from the groupconsisting of diblock, triblock, radial block, multiblock copolymers ofsynthetic thermoplastic rubbers, and mixtures thereof; placing themolten candle composition in a mold to form a candle body; placing awick in the molten candle composition; and allowing the candlecomposition to harden.
 22. The method of claim 21, wherein the wax baseis made from petroleum matter.
 23. The method of claim 21, wherein thewax base is made from vegetable matter.
 24. The method of claim 21,wherein the wax base is made from animal-fat matter.
 25. The method ofclaim 21, wherein the wax base is made from synthetic matter.
 26. Themethod of claim 21, wherein the wax base is made from a combination ofmaterials selected from the group consisting of petroleum waxes,vegetable waxes, animal-fat waxes and synthetic waxes.
 27. The method ofclaim 21, wherein the wax base is present in an amount of at least 50weight percent of the candle composition.
 28. The method of claim 27,wherein the copolymer additive is present in an amount ranging fromabout 0.125 to about 10 weight percent of the candle composition. 29.The method of claim 28, wherein the copolymer additive is present in anamount ranging from about 0.25 to about 2 weight percent of the candlecomposition.
 30. The method of claim 21, wherein the candle compositionfurther comprises: from about 0 to about 10 weight percent fragrance;from about 0 to about 1 weight percent stabilizers; from about 0 toabout 2 weight percent dyes; and from about 0 to about 10 weight percenthydrocarbon oil.
 31. The method of claim 21, wherein the method furthercomprises the step of creating a pre-mix of a wax base and a syntheticthermoplastic rubber.
 32. The method of claim 21, wherein the wick ispredisposed in the mold before the molten candle composition is insertedinto the mold.